Separable cellular carton



Jan. 9, 1934. J WALSH SEPARABLE CELLULAR CARTON Filed Oct. 25, 1951 Patented Jan. 9, E3

caries Alppiieation Gctober 23,

4 Claims.

The most common type of egg carton is one in which the eggs are packed in two rows of six eggs each. There is a demand for cartons that will permit the sale of one-half dozen eggs at a time. However, since the bulk of the sales will be of dozens, it is desirable that a carton be available for dispensing eggs either in dozens or half dozens, without making it necessary to employ two difierent kinds of cartons.

The object of the present invention is to produce a simple and novel carton that may be separated, while filled with eggs, to permit eggs to be distributed in full cartons or fractional cartons.

Viewed in one of its aspects, the present invention may be said to have for its object so to modify a well known one-piece egg-cushioning carton whereby, by the addition of a single separable partition, the carton is made available 20 for distributing eggs either in dozen or half dozen The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a carton embodying my invention, the lid or cover being open; Fig. 2 is an end view of the carton; Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the separable cross partition.

The carton shown in the drawing is one made of a single blank cut, glued and folded, to produce a cellular structure having therein twelve compartments; the blank forming front and rear walls, 1 and 2, a bottom wall, transverse partitions 3, 3 and a cover 4; the transverse partitions being connected to the front and rear walls by triangular gussets 5 when the carton is set up, and the cover or lid of the carton having at its long free edge a flange 6 provided with hooks '7 for engagement with these gussets to lock the cover down. The bottom is bent or folded up along the longitudinal center to form the longitudinal partition and inclines or slopes on which the eggs may rest. It is evident that the bottom may take any one of a variety of shapes to accomplish this end, the only essential being that the bottom of the carton be raised at the middle to provide a longitudinal ridge and that there be on opposite sides of this ridge downwardly inclined slopes. In the arrangement shown, the bottom 1931. Serial No. 570,595

of the carton, in cross section, takes roughly the form of an inverted V, producing a central longitudinal ridge 8 and inclined slopes 9. Transverse slots 10 are cut into the ridge to receive the partitions and produce an interlock that holds the partitions at the middle against movement lengthwise of the carton. In each inclined slope of the bottom of the carton are a number of slots each in the same vertical plane as the corresponding slot in the ridge. The cross partitions are shown as being forked to fit into the valleys in the bottom of the carton; the legs of each fork having thereon projections or hooks 12 that extend through the slots 11; thereby interlocking the legs of each cross partition against swinging movements, lengthwise of the carton. and suspending the entire bottom from the front and rear walls of the carton through the cross partitions which serve as hangers.

It will be seen that the body portion of the carton extends a short distance beyond each endmost cross partition to provide enough material outwardly from the corresponding slots 10 and 11 to resist the outward pressure of the eggs in the end compartments. If the same kind of a carton is made in what may be termed half length, so that each carton will hold six eggs, the combined lengths of the two small cartons must be greater than the length of the large carton, to provide the two additional end pieces.

In accordance with my invention I cut a blank that is just like that for a carton to contain one dozen eggs, excepting that it has been lengthened by an insertion in the middle. That is, the blank is the same as an ordinary blank, cut in two at the middle along a transverse line and pulled apart a distance equal to the width of two end sections beyond the endmost partitions of a. carton, the space thus left between the separated halves being filled with carton material and the whole transformed into a single piece. In other words, the third cell from one end of the carton, in each row, is made longer than the ordinary cell, and the distance between the two middle hooks on the cover is greater than the 1 normal distance between the hooks. In this portion of the carton containing the lengthened cells or compartments, I provide slots 20 and 21 corresponding to the slots 10 and 11, and spaced apart from one of two sets of these slots between which it lies a distance equal to the normal length of a cell or compartment. A separate detachable partition 13 that is preferably stiiier and heavier than the ordinary carton material and which may otherwise be of the same size and serve as one of the other cross partitions, is then set into the carton and interlocked therewith at the slots 20 and 21. The carton now has eight cross partitions instead of seven, as in the ordinary carton; the two cross partitions at the middle being spaced apart a distance equal to twice the length or width of what may be termed an end zone of the body of the carton, which is that portion extending beyond an end partition. If, now, the carton is severed on a transverse line extending through the body portion and the cover, midway between the two partitions at the middle, there will be produced two complete cartons.

The carton may be marked with a line indicating the line of division between the two halves and, if desired, it may be weakened along this line so as to permit the ready separation of the two halves from each other. In the arrangement shown, there is a weakened line 14 extending across the body of the carton and the cover.

It will thus be seen that my improved carton, except for the added separable partition, is simply an old carton slightly lengthened, so that it may be manufactured in the same way as these cartons have heretofore been manufactured, and will function in the same way as the old carton, simply having the added property or capacity of permitting division into two separate complete cartons.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A carton formed of a blank cut, secured and folded to produce a body portion and integral transverse partitions extending across the interior of the body portion; a separate transverse partition near but spaced apart from one of the transverse partitions; and interlocking elements on the body portion of the carton and said separate partition to hold the latter in place; the blank having a weakened line extending across the same in the space between the two lastmentioned partitions to permit the carton to be divided into two cartons along said line.

2. A carton composed of a single blank cut, secured and folded into a structure comprising front and rear walls, a bottom bent up at the longitudinal center to produce a ridge and oppositely inclined slopes, and integral transverse partitions interlocked with the bottom; a separate transverse partition extending across the interior of the carton between two of the partitions and nearer one than the other; said separate partition being interlocked with the bottom of the carton at the ridge and on each side of the ridge; and the blank being weakened along a line extending across the blank between the separate partition and the nearest of the other partitions to permit the carton to be divided on said line into two cartons.

3. A carton of the type described, comprising a body portion having front and rear walls and a bottom and longitudinal partition forming section, a series of transverse partitions attached at their outer edges to said body portion, means for interlocking said transverse partitions with said body portion to maintain said partitions in position, an additional transverse partition separate from said body portion and positioned near but spaced from one of said first named transverse partitions, and releasable interlocking means for holding said additional transverse partition in position with respect to said body portion.

4. A carton of the type described, comprising a body portion having front and rear walls, a cover, and a bottom and longitudinal partition forming section, a series of transverse partitions attached at their outer edges to saidbody portion, means for interlocking said transverse partitions to said body portion to maintain said partitions in position, an additional transverse partition separate from said body portion and positioned near but spaced from one of said first named partitions, and releasable interlocking means for holding said additional transverse partition in position with respect to said body portion, said body portion having a weakened line extending across the same in the space between said one transverse partition and said additional transverse partition. JOHN E. WALSH. 

